HISTORIA VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY MARCH 2000 Historic RittenhouseTown A GREAT HOUSE The birthplace of Paper in America BELONGING TO A GREAT MAN By Betty Luff The March (April 5) Northampton Township Historical Society meeting will feature a talk on Historic Every one knows or has read that Northampton Township’s RittenhouseTown, the birthplace of Paper making in most prominent citizen was Judge Henry Wynkoop. Much America. RittenhouseTown is located along Monoshone has been written about his political life but not so much about creek in Fairmount Park. Once a thriving colonial village, the magnificent manor house his father, Nicholas, built in which included over forty structures, it is now a United States 1739 when Henry was but two years old. Henry spent his Department of Interior National Historic Landmark. entire 80 years on this 200 acre homestead, bordered by Holland Road and Richboro-Newtown Road. RittenhouseTown was the site of the first paper mill in the thirteen colonies of Great Britain. Wilhelm Rittenhausen While most of the other Northampton farmers ware still arrived in America from Holland in 1688 and, with his son, living in log houses in 1739, it is hard to imagine what an Nicholas, built a mill to manufacture fine white paper in undertaking it must have been to find workmen to remove the 1690. This mill was William Penn’s pride, since such great amount of stone from the fields and the lumber from the facilities were new in England. For over one hundred years, forests to construct such an estate. this area remained a center of papermaking in America. The house has been described as one of the most magnificent Today RittenhouseTown is a working museum. Visitors can country mansions in Pennsylvania and rivaled the best tour the remaining seven buildings and grounds. Hand plantation houses of Virginia. Three full stories in height, 20 papermaking and Early American History and culture rooms, including the hidden one with the secret stairway, this workshops are held throughout the year. secret chamber was not only used by political refugees but also until the Civil War by fugitives on the underground The talk will be given by Andrew Zellers-Frederick, Railroad. Executive Director of RittenhouseTown. Andy has an extensive background in Historic Preservation and American It is written that at the south entrance there were five solid History and he is the Chairman of the Warminster Township stone steps, six feet in length and one foot high, the top step Historical Preservation Board, which meets at Craven Hall. being a great flat stone slab, six feet by five feet by one foot on which guests stood while pulling the brass knocker to announce their arrival. Guests were greeted at night by IN THIS ISSUE candles on stone candle stands at the front steps. Inside were two great double parlors, each 20x30 feet, with • RittenhouseTown talk at April 5th meeting large open fireplaces at opposite ends. Behind the East parlor was a music room, west of it was the long dining room with • The Wynkoop house its curved fireplaces and numerous cupboards for china, glass • Presidents message and Upcoming Events and other accessories. 0n the west was a small buttery, having cellar stairs and joined by a door to the great kitchen which • Spread Eagle Inn status and cleanup had a huge open fireplace, with many cranes and a large spit. • Lida Walton and Ralph Samuels Obituaries Pictures, Page 3, Story continues page 4 NTHS HISTORIA March 2000 NEWS FROM THE PRESIDENT UPCOMING EVENTS Dear Members, Bryn Athyn’s Architecture The Town, Cathedral and Cairnwood Glorious Spring is here – my favorite time of year. I love Saturday, April 1 the scent of grass after the rain, washing windows, hanging Bucks County Community College out the clothes, and watching everything burst forth. 215-968-8268 On Saturday, March 18th we had an invigorating clean up Arts and Antiques Seminar Series at the Spread Eagle. Weeds were pulled, boards painted, April 7 - Kristina Haugland - Next to Skin: A Brief History of and flowers planted.- a new beginning for the “Grand Old Woman’s Underwear Lady” of Second Street Pike. April 14 - Ella B. Schaap - Dutch Delftware and Ceramic Tiles April 21 - Glenn Tomlinson - Maxfield Parrish and the Golden Because our meeting date had to be changed I won’t be Age of Illustration able to attend on April 5th. My youngest daughter, Planned Parenthood of Bucks County Elizabeth will help with the refreshments and cleanup. 215-968-1632 215-493-8533 Northampton Township Historical Society Margaret Hull and I drove past Historic RittenhouseTown April 5, 2000 - 7:30 PM recently and it looked so interesting – old stone buildings, a General Meeting - Historic RittenhouseTown little hamlet, where time stood still. This is where the first paper mill in America was started, right here in Fifth Annual Old House Expo Philadelphia. and Restoration Exposition Saturday April 8 - 10 AM - 5 PM Since I cannot be with you all at the meeting and New-Hope Solebury High School presentation on RittenhouseTown by Andy, I plan on 215-348-9461 Ext.10 visiting the site upon my return and I will be glad to bring Historical Society of Southampton some folks with me to see it in person. April 17, 2000 - 7:30 PM Lower Southampton Library A reminder that it is time to renew your Historical Society 215-357-2086 membership. On the last page of this and every HISTORIA is a membership application. Please fill it out Bucks County Genealogical Society and bring it to the next meeting or mail it to us. Thank you Annual Conference April 29, 2000 for your support! Lenape Middle School 215-230-9410 Looking forward to seeing you all in May. Have a blessed [email protected] Spring. The David Library April 27 - Karen Huetter, “Moravian Culture on the colonial Frontier” May 18 - Prof. Andrew )’Shaughnessy, “An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean” SPREAD EAGLE CLEANUP June 8 - Prof. Stuart Leibiger, “Founding Friendship: George Washington, James Madison and the Creation of the About 25 community members, including State American Republic” Representative Roy Reinard, Northampton Township Craven Hall Historical Society officials, Historical Society members and Council Rock May Faire 2000 May 6 - 9AM - 5 PM, May 7 - 10 AM - 5 PM school students pitched in to improve the look of the Spread Craven Hall grounds, Street and Newtown Roads, Eagle Inn in Richboro Saturday morning March 18th. Warminster 215-675-4698 Shovels, rakes, ladders, paint, donated plants and hard work on the part of the volunteers helped restore what was once a 27th Annual Folk Festival beautiful corner in the township. The cleanup was organized Mercer Museum, Doylestown by Courtney Yelle, Holland and Doug Crompton, Richboro, May 13/14 2000 as part of an ongoing effort to save the inn from the wrecking 215-345-0210 www.libertynet.org/bchs ball. More cleanup days will be scheduled as needed. Historical Society of Southampton . May 15, 2000 - 7:30 PM SEE PICTURES ON PAGE 6 Lower Southampton Library 215-357-2086 2 NTHS HISTORIA March 2000 “Vredens Hof”, built in 1739 by Nicholas Wynkoop. Destroyed by fire in 1914. Barn destroyed by lightning September 1916. Located on East side of Holland Road near Newtown-Richboro Road. Picture circa 1900. Front view of Wynkoop Mansion, built 1739. Picture circa 1900 after much deterioration. 3 NTHS HISTORIA March 2000 Spread Eagle Update A Great House from Page 1 Doug Crompton 0n the second floor were many bedrooms, each with its Many things have happened since our last meeting in November individual open fireplace, as each of the four stone chimneys regarding the Spread Eagle Inn. In December there was a public had an opening, on either side on all three floors. One end of meeting at which I spoke in favor of saving the Inn. Others that the third floor was used for a store room and the other was a spoke at that meeting favored saving the Inn and there were no great ball room or meeting place, with heat from the dissenters. At that time the supervisor were receptive of our fireplaces. thoughts but skeptical about saving the inn. At about the same time Amoco made it known to the township that they no longer To the east of the mansion was a two-story stone servants had any interest in building a gas station on the site. The township quarters, containing eight rooms. Just south of it was a stone quickly moved to condemn the site. At present, after an appeal smoke house, a wash house, a two story milk house, paved at period, the township is the owner of the inn and grounds but a fair different levels to form shelves for keeping milk and other market value, which the township will have to pay, has not been edibles cold. There were huge stone stables, barns, wagon established. Amoco paid $490,000 for it three years ago. houses and even a blacksmith shop and forge where Nicholas Wynkoop repaired his own farming tools. We started a massive campaign in January to both call and send letters to the supervisors asking that the inn be saved. The public All of these buildings stood on a 20 foot bluff, with a response has been very good. In late February the Historical commanding view of the whole Holland Valley and even the Society sponsored a meeting at the Senior Center aimed at setting north slope of Langhorne Hill. up a committee to “Save the Spread Eagle.” Three supervisors “Vredens-Hof” which in Dutch meant “The abode of attended that meeting and the discussion was positive.